Simrad FU80 Follow-Up Remote Control with Display

The Simrad FU80 Follow-Up Remote Control is the dedicated steering station accessory for Simrad's professional autopilot range - the AP24, AP28, AP70, and AP80 families. Adding a FU80 to your autopilot system gives the boat a second (or third, or fourth) command point where the helmsman can take direct manual control of the rudder without walking back to the main autopilot display. Flybridge boats, sportfish boats with tower stations, sailing yachts with cockpit and chart-table helms, and commercial vessels with multiple watchstanding positions all benefit from the same setup: drop a FU80 wherever you need command, plug it into the NMEA 2000 / SimNet backbone, and that location becomes a fully functional steering point.

What "follow-up" steering actually means. There are two ways to steer a boat from a remote control: non-follow-up (NFU) where you hold a button and the rudder moves as long as you hold it, and follow-up (FU) where you set a commanded rudder angle and the rudder moves to that exact position and stays there. The FU80 is the follow-up type. You rotate the steering lever to the angle you want - up to 70 degrees from center, port or starboard - and the autopilot drives the rudder to that exact angle. Release the lever and it stays where you set it. The rudder stays where you set it. This is far more precise than NFU control because you're commanding position, not motion. For tight maneuvering in a marina, threading through mooring fields, or holding a specific course offset against current, follow-up control is the right tool.

The integrated 1.7-inch display. Right above the steering lever sits a 128x64 pixel LED-backlit display that shows you everything the autopilot is doing without making you look back at the main head unit. Commanded rudder angle reads out as a number and as a graphical bar. Heading shows in degrees. Current autopilot mode (Auto, Standby, Follow-Up, Non-Follow-Up) shows so you don't accidentally fight the autopilot. Red/white LED backlighting - white for daytime visibility, red for night-vision-preserving illumination on watch. Black and white display is intentionally chosen for legibility in direct sunlight and at sharp angles - color displays wash out in bright marine conditions while monochrome stays crisp.

NMEA 2000 / SimNet network connection. The FU80 plugs into your existing Simrad autopilot network through a single 6-meter drop cable (factory-attached) and the included T-connector. That's the entire wiring task - one cable from the FU80 to a free port on your NMEA 2000 backbone. No analog wiring, no rudder-angle voltage references, no proprietary serial connections. If you already have a Simrad autopilot installed and operating, adding a FU80 is genuinely a plug-and-play job. Power comes through the network bus (the FU80 doesn't need a separate 12V or 24V feed) and the autopilot processor handles all the rudder commands - the FU80 is essentially a network-connected input device with a display.

Backward compatibility across the Simrad autopilot generations. The FU80 talks to current AP70 and AP80 commercial-grade systems but it's also backward-compatible with the older AP24 and AP28 recreational autopilots that are still installed on tens of thousands of boats. That matters because a lot of yards and refit shops aren't pulling perfectly good AP24/AP28 systems just to upgrade the head unit - they're keeping the working autopilot and adding accessories like the FU80 to extend functionality. The same FU80 works on both generations, so it's a safe purchase even if you're planning to upgrade the main autopilot processor later.

Two installation paths in the box. The FU80 ships with flush-mount hardware for permanent installation in a dash panel - cut the mounting hole, drop the unit through, secure with the included screws, attach the front bezel and the gasket goes between the unit and the panel to keep water out. If you don't want to cut a hole or you want the remote to be portable between stations (say, between a flybridge and an internal helm), the FU80 can also surface-mount on a desktop or bracket using an optional mount kit. The included loose steering lever lets you choose lever orientation that makes sense for the mounting position - a flybridge mount might want the lever oriented differently than a portrait dash mount.

IPx6 water resistance for exposed helm positions. Rated for powerful water jets from any direction - so it's qualified for use at outside flybridges, exposed cockpit helms, sportfish towers, and any helm position that takes spray and rain. The display sealing means you don't need to cover the FU80 with a separate sun cover unless you're worried about UV degradation of the LCD over multi-year exposure. Operating temperature 0°C to 55°C and storage -32°C to 70°C cover essentially every reasonable marine environment.

What ships in the box. FU80 remote control unit with display. Factory-attached 6-meter SimNet/NMEA 2000 drop cable. T-connector for the network connection. Front bezel for flush-mount finish. Installation gasket. Mounting screws. Loose steering lever. Installation and user manual. Everything you need to wire and mount the FU80 to an existing Simrad autopilot network - no separate purchase required for cables, connectors, or hardware.

Designed and built by Simrad - part of a Norway-based marine electronics group - the FU80 carries Simrad's professional autopilot heritage. Type-approved (qualifies for use on commercial vessels). Proven in commercial fishing, ferry, and workboat installations as well as recreational yachts. You don't see many FU80 units in the field as warranty failures - the unit is mechanically simple (it's a network-connected joystick with a display), and Simrad's quality control on the professional-tier autopilot accessories is well-regarded across the industry.